Safe and sound
by Sxphyre
Summary: "You and I'll be safe, and, sound..." The toybox is a much more dangerous place than expected... Garry comforts Ib as she lives her last moments.


**In a sad mood right now... I feel the need to write a tragedy. Listen to the song Safe & Sound the hunger games before reading this, unless you don't want tears to come. **

"Is there really a key in there, I wonder?" I asked Ib, as we both peered into the dark toy box.

"Wanna see?" A familiar voice said, and before I could lift my head and turn, a strong hand pushed me over, and I tumbled into the toybox. It was a long drop, and I was shaken awake. I turned over, and was relieved to see the kind face of Ib.

"Ogh..." I said, getting myself to my feet. "Ib, are you alright?"

"I'm fine," she said, and a stroke of relief swept over my body.

"That's good... Do you see a way out of here? We fell from the upper floor..." I said, looking at all the junk around. "Is this the toybox?"

"I guess so..." Ib said, looking at a creepy doll. I noticed that Ib's bright crimson eyes stood out to her face, which was a bit pale.

"Are you alright Ib?" I asked, "You look a bit pale," She turned, and I saw she was very pale.

"I...I don't have my rose," she said quietly.

"You don't!?" I exclaimed, "It has to be around here somewhere, right? Let's go find it,"

"Okay..." she said, following me around. I could tell she felt much less confident with my encouragement. I looked around, and she followed, beside some mannequins, and around and under some other junk, when we spotted a half wilted red rose laying on the floor, surrounded in petals.

"Here we go," I said, taking it gently from the floor and held it up to her. She took it softly with her hand, and hedt it at her chest with both hands.

"Thank you..." she said quietly, her face still not regaining color.

"Are you still not feeling well? It was a pretty big fall..." I said, kneeling down to her and putting my hand on her shoulder. She gave barely a nod, and her eyes concentrated on the last few petals on her rose.

"Just... keep it safe, we'll make it out...okay?" I said. She nodded again, and I got to my feet.

"How are we supposed to get out?" Ib asked, looking at the disturbing blue doll slumped against the wall.

"I'm not sure... but the reason we came was for the pink key, right?" I asked.

"Yeah... let's find that first," Ib said quietly, and we searched around the whole toy box. I saw a painting of the Lady in Red, and looked behind it, expecting some sort of compartment, but to no avail.

"Have you found anything, Ib?" I asked, to make sure she was alright.

"No," she said, and dug through some toy trains and tracks. I found a stack of coloring books, and glanced at the messily colored beaches and scenery inside. Who's toybox was this...? I looked through them, as if possibly a key would fall out or something, but nothing happened. I stood up and walked to where Ib was, and she was digging through a box of crayons.

"Anything here?" I asked, and she shook her head and moved on. I was beginning to get frustrated, and as much as I wanted to get out, my consciousness was doubting it. I moved over dolls, as much as it made me shiver at the touch, but there was no key to be found.

"Garry!" Ib said, and I looked over to her. She was standing over a giant drawing of a cat in scribbly pink crayon. I made my way over, and her color was coming back, which relieved me.

"...It's a cat. So..." I said, and her crimson eyes scanned me quickly, then she looked back to the cat. She leaned down and grabbed something, and when she picked it up it was a bright pink key that matched the exact color of the cat.

"Wow..." I said, scratching my head. "In plain sight... I should've seen it earlier..." I remembered the five times I had walked right past the cat drawing.

"We're still stuck in here... How will this key help?" Ib asked, and as if on cue, the bright atmosphere became darker, and this creepy feeling made the hairs on my neck stand straight up.

"Uhm...I-Ib... I d-don't have a good feeling..." I said, shivering. I looked at her, and her hand gripped tighter on her rose. I checked my coat pocket, and I drew the rose from my pocket. There was still ten petals, and I began to relax. I slipped it back into my pocket, and noticed Ib's knuckles getting white from squeezing her rose so tight. I kneeled down and put my hand around hers.

"It's okay Ib... we'll get out soon," I said, and I could feel her hand starting to relax. I got back to my feet, and Ib took ahold of my hand. I took a step, and there was a dead silence. I squeezed Ib's hand tighter, and took another step. I let out a scream at the shattering of glass, and I saw all the dolls and toys around spring to life. I knew something would happen... I made sure I had Ib's hand, and I ran as fast as I could. I ran through quickly and unscathed, hand in hand with Ib, until I heard a cry of pain.

"Ib!" I shouted and turned around. There were many mannequins around her, holding her arms, and the Lady in red was making her way over.

"Let go!" she said and flailed, but to no avail. More and more toys surrounded her, and I pushed them all out of the way.

"Ib!" I shouted again, jerking a mannequin to the side.

"Garry!" she cried, and I pulled at the mannequin holding her foot. There were so many dolls clinging to my body, and I grunted in pain while shoving the mannequin off Ib. I thrusted a mannequin away, freeing her left foot, when I heard a shrill scream of pain. I looked up immediately as the the Lady in Red sank her teeth into where Ib's neck and shoulders meet.

"Ib!" I screamed, and didn't care anymore. I thrusted my arms side to side, throwing the mannequins off. I grabbed Ib, and kicked the Lady in red away. I ran through the toys closing in on me, and I saw a staircase. I ran as fast as I could and ascended the stairs, turned, and kept going up until all the toys were out of sight. Breathing hard, I felt my right arm was wet. I looked down, and blood was dripping down my right arm. I put Ib down on the ground, and kneeled down and shook her.

"Ib, open your eyes..." I said quietly, and shook her again. Slowly, her eyes opened up, and the deep crimson matched the blood streaming from her wound.

"G-Garry..." she said, and looked up at my face.

"Ib..." I said, putting her my hand under her head.

"I'm sorry..." she said, tears wetting her face. I was speechless, the life was fading out of her in my arms.

"I-I'm so sorry..." she said, and I noticed that tears were wetting my face as well.

"Ib... why..." I said, not able to speak.

"I-I'm sorry we can't... get out...together..." she said, and my tears started to drop onto her uniform.

"Ib... don't..." I said, and couldn't talk. Everything in my body felt like it was falling apart.

"Get out of this place...okay?" she said, "Don't let anyone..."

"Ib, stop talking if it hurts..." I said, brushing hair out of her face. She was too young... much to young...

"Garry..." she managed to speak almost inaudibly. I couldn't take it anymore...

"Just close your eyes..." I began to sing, sobbing, and began to stroke her head with my other hand. Her hair was bloodstained, and was a mess and all over the place. Blood stained my right hand, but I didn't care. I wanted to soothe her... she felt guilty, and I didn't want her to feel that way. Her eyes looked into mine, then closed, and I closed mine and let the tears keep falling.

"You'll be alright..." I managed to sing, and stroked her head, brushing hair in and out of place.

"Come morning light..." I said, stroking her face now.

"You and I'll be safe..." I saw a glimmer of hope come into her eyes.

"And..." her eyes started losing light.

"Sound..." she sang, and she sang it as her eyes closed for the final time, as those last tears streamed down her face. I wiped the one to the left away, and closed my eyes and hugged her head in my arms as I sang another verse quietly.

"Just close you eyes...

The sun is going down.

You'll be alright...

No one can hurt you now.

Come morning light...

You and I'll be safe...

And...

Sound..."

**"It hurts to have someone in your heart, but you can't have them in your arms..."**

**"People walk away easily but leave their memories with us forever..."**

* * *

**;_; I cried. That's all. I loved this song, and now it makes me cry. If you haven't or if you have, go listen to Safe and Sound the hunger games by Taylor Swift, and... it devastates me to the core.**


End file.
